Seahorse Wall Art from Recycled Wood Pallets 20” x 12"

I am a lifelong artist. My father was an artist. I didn't know I was an artist until I suddenly realized I was. I know that sounds funny but that's just the way it worked for me. In high school I took ceramics and jewelry and photography and poetry and and and....I never really was very good at any of it. I spent 20 years as a commercial artist and small business manager and as a young professional I found my artistic niche in getting paid to make things for other people for their business and for advertising. In my late 20's I took up a paint brush and hacked my way through the learning process and quickly found out that I do not posses some hidden talent lying undiscovered simply waiting for me to dip brush to paint and magically fill a canvas with a bounty of spectacular images and perfectly balanced colors. Nope. Instead I did the best I could and tried blending all sorts of mediums together to find the style I would love in making abstract art. I painted and created like any newbie would and slowly found a style and a match for what I was good at. after 10 years of painting I just hit the wall and stopped. I was done. I continued in my professional work and didn't think twice about it.....until literally 10 years later I had that itch to create come over me again. This time was different as I had gained a different appreciation for the creative and quite frankly a different perspective. I wasn't trying anymore. I let the inspirations to paint come over me and when they did I painted with almost a madness until I finished a piece. As time moved forward I started to experiment in mixing mediums more and more and got away from just painting acrylic to canvas. I began to explore more ways to create. Slowly and painfully I learned through trial and error, as I do still, to hone different skill sets to help elevate my artwork. I have found that the busier you get and fill your life with art the more the ideas will stem and flow. I always take notes because I remember the dry spells I would go through when I struggled to come up with an idea of something that would inspire me to create. So far 8 years later I have a notebook full of ideas that I have for reference, but mostly it's on from one idea and project to the next.

My goal now is to create things that are professionally executed and inspire joy and wonder in someone else in the same way as when I get a vision of something I would like to create in my head. To take that idea and give it life and have it come out as perfectly as I can possibly make it is what inspires me to keep making and keep creating new pieces. I never used to think of myself as an artist, but my father once said to me "you are what you do everyday". And by doing so, do it well and be a professional. So, I guess I'm an artist. And that's a good thing I guess because I sure do like making stuff. :D